Ventura County District Attorney’s Office
VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that Steve Adams, a.k.a. Tom Steve Adams (DOB 2/10/1974), of Santa Monica, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and placed on three years felony probation for his role in a scam that targeted an Oxnard donut shop. In April 2019, Adams pled guilty to one count of felony grand theft.
In March 2016, Adams and a co-defendant, Vincent McGill, entered a donut shop in Oxnard and distracted the owner. Adams’ partner was able to enter a code into the lottery ticket terminal that caused the machine to go offline. They falsely claimed to the clerk they needed to enter a PIN as an approval code because McGill was a victim of identity theft. Subsequently, when Adams and McGill used a credit card to buy $6,549 in lottery tickets, scratch tickets, and “Hot Spot” gaming tickets, the terminal incorrectly indicated the purchase was authorized. The purchase was later declined by the credit card company. Adams and McGill later redeemed the lottery tickets for $2,400. Because of scams like this, the California State Lottery urged merchants to only accept cash for “Hot Spot” tickets, lotto tickets, and other promotional games. Adams paid full restitution to the donut shop owner and the California State Lottery. In June 2017, McGill was sentenced to serve eight months in state prison for his role in this scam. This case was jointly investigated by the California State Lottery and the Oxnard Police Department.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 280 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.
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